The AWL, Labour and the Left:

Author:

Paul Hampton

Closing the AWL’s conference, which took place on 16-17 October, Jill Mountford concluded that it was “the most important conference for our group in over two decades”. New times, and with them new responsibilities for revolutionary socialists, were the backdrop to the event.

A report of the AWL conference held over the weekend of 16-17 October in London.

Author:

AWL conference

The general line of this perspectives document was adopted by AWL conference on 16-17 October 2010

1) World Crisis

The banking crisis of 2007-08 and after changed politics everywhere in ways that are still unfolding. The possibility of a "double-dip" economic slump looms threateningly. Even without that it is now commonplace for economic commentators to talk of now as the worst economic crisis in 80 years. There is enormous unemployment in Europe, America and other areas.

The AWL, Labour and the Left:

Author:

AWL conference

THE THREAT TO THE UNIONS

The unions face a challenge, both industrially and politically, without any recent precedent.

Since the early 1990s, and to a large degree even up to 2009 in the public sector, the unions have generally dealt with relative boom conditions. Now they face huge cuts, carried through by a government which believes that the crisis mandates huge cuts and which is led by people who relish the chance to hack at the public sector and extend privatisation and marketisation.

Report on "AWL and the unions" adopted by AWL conference 16-17 October 2010

The AWL, Labour and the Left:

Author:

AWL conference

1. Prior to the 2010 general election it was clear that whatever the exact political complexion of the new government, significant cuts would be made to public sector spending. The only open question was and to a degree still is, how deep will these cuts be? and to what extent they will affect the wider economy.

The AWL, Labour and the Left:

Author:

AWL conference

Adopted by AWL conference 16-17 October 2010

In terms of the politics of women the AWL defines itself Socialist-Feminist. We do so because, while we fight for the politics of women's liberation within the labour and student movement here and now, we recognise that the emancipation of women can only happen with the emancipation of humanity as a whole through the socialist transformation of society via the class struggle.

Author:

Race and immigration featured prominently in the popular imagination as one of the "key" issues of the general election. Both New Labour and the Tories pandered to racism. Cameron was elected promising to cut immigration by 75%and the coalition has since introduced a cap which even Vince Cable has criticised as being irrational. Fully-blown anti-migrant and anti-Muslim racist populism is now appearing regularly on the front covers of several tabloid papers.